The European Parliament on Moldova: tough, but not enough

The European Parliament on Moldova:

tough, but not enough

The upcoming European Parliament resolution on Moldova, on November 13-14, 2018, should be more critical. Here is why we think so.

On July 19, 2018, a draft report on the implementation of the European Union association agreement with Moldova was submitted by MEP Petras Auštrevičius to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament.

Some of the amendments proposed initially, however, strike us as an attempt to camouflage the real problems Moldova faces and tone down the justified critique of the recent democratic downslide of the country under the present government.

The content of some draft amendments may indicate that their authors have departed from their declared objective of helping Moldova and are dedicating their efforts to helping the present regime survive. Under the pretext of “keeping Moldova in the EU’s orbit”, corruption, crimes, injustice, and state capture are tolerated.

There is no justification for the increasing attack on the Moldovan democracy and the constant breach of human rights by the current government. The Moldovan government declared itself pro-European, but succumbed almost irreversible to authoritarian reflexes: annulment of the results of the mayoral elections, limitation of the freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, obstruction of the right to access to information, suspicious arrests of opposition activists. This way of governing is pushing the country further from the EU. This should not be tolerated by anyone who claims to adhere to the European values.

On the other hand, we are grateful to those voices, in the European Parliament and elsewhere, that do not deny the reality in Moldova and speak openly about Moldova’s problems. They should keep demanding respect for democratic standards and human rights, genuine reforms and anticorruption, in line with the Association Agreement. The first step to solving Moldova’s problems would be to call things by their name. We believe truth, inconvenient as it is to the present authorities, is in the best interest of the Moldovan people.

Without interpretation from our own side, we present a visual, reader-friendly list of the amendments. The European Union has invested over a billion euros in the last ten years alone to develop the Moldovan democracy and support reforms. This investment risks to be compromised.

Paragraph

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA), and welcomes the progress achieved by Moldova to date; insists, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA must be a top priority, enabling a further deepening of the country’s relations with the EU, for the benefit of all Moldovan citizens, as well as unlocking additional perspectives in line with the Eastern Partnership Plus (EaP+) policy advocated by Parliament;

Amendment 14

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Notes that the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA) was negotiated by Vlad Filat’s government, which has been declared corrupt, and has been endorsed by the oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, who in effect is the real person running the country; insists that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA has not improved the Moldovan economy, in fact the Russian trade restrictions have drastically reduced the number of Moldovan agricultural exports;

Amendment 15

Cristian Dan Preda

Monica Macovei

Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA), and takes note of the limited progress achieved by Moldova to date; insists, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA must be a top priority, enabling a further deepening of the country’s relations with the EU, for the benefit of all Moldovan citizens, as well as unlocking additional perspectives in line with the Eastern Partnership Plus (EaP+) policy advocated by Parliament;

Amendment 16

Rebecca Harms

Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA), and welcomes the progress achieved by Moldova to date; insists, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA, with regard, in particular, to political reforms, must be a top priority, enabling a further deepening of the country’s relations with the EU, for the benefit of all Moldovan citizens, as well as unlocking additional perspectives in line with the Eastern Partnership Plus (EaP+) policy advocated by Parliament;

Amendment 17

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA) in a highly polarised political landscape, and welcomes the progress achieved by Moldova to date despite the continuous challenges posed by the anti-European orientation of the President of Moldova; insists, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA
must be a top priority, enabling a further deepening of the country’s relations with the EU, for the benefit of all Moldovan citizens, as well as unlocking additional perspectives in line with the Eastern
Partnership Plus (EaP+) policy advocated by Parliament;

Amendment 18

Julia Pitera

Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA), and welcomes the progress
achieved by Moldova to date; insists, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA must be a top priority, enabling a further deepening of the
country’s relations with the EU, for the benefit of all Moldovan citizens, as well as unlocking additional perspectives in line with the Eastern Partnership Plus (EaP+) policy advocated by Parliament; points out that pursuant to Article 49 of the TEU and in line with the Rome Declaration of 25March 2017, any European state may apply to become a member of the EU, provided that it respects the Copenhagen criteria;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Praises the courageous agents for positive change in Moldova, notably those leading the efforts to reform the banking sector following the 2014 bank fraud; calls on Moldovan politicians and the judiciary as a whole to join in with such efforts to reform the country and fight corruption in line with the AA commitments;

Amendment 19

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Praises the courageous agents for positive change in Moldova, notably those leading the efforts to reform the banking
sector following the 2014 bank fraud; calls on Moldovan politicians and the judiciary as a whole to join in with such efforts to
reform the country and fight corruption in the best interests of the State; calls for the establishment of a Moldovanparliamentary commission that comprises representatives from various political parties so that those who were possibly involved in the bank fraud can be brought before the court and sentenced within the State itself;

Amendment 20

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Praises the positive changes in Moldova, notably the stabilisation of the economy and the efforts to reform the banking sector following the 2014 bank fraud; welcomes the July 2018 IMF successful evaluation of the implementation of the IMF-supported programme; calls on Moldovan politicians and the judiciary as a whole to join in with such efforts to reform the country and fight corruption in line with the AA commitments; in particular, calls on all political forces to engage in constructive dialogue in the interest of the country;

Amendment 21

Helmut Scholz

Praises the actions taken in line with the calls of the IMF and the EU to reform the banking sector following the criminal 2014 bank fraud; calls on Moldovan politicians and the judiciary as a
whole to join in with such efforts to reform the country and fight corruption in line with the AA commitments;

Amendment 22

Cristian Dan Preda

Monica Macovei

Praises the courageous agents for positive change in Moldova, notably those leading the efforts to reform the banking sector following the 2014 bank fraud, which should be pursued; calls on Moldovan politicians and the judiciary as a whole to join in with such efforts to reform the country and fight corruption in line with the AA commitments, as the lack of political will and commitment are some of the main bottlenecks for credible reforms;

Amendment 23

Julia Pitera

Praises the courageous agents for positive change in Moldova, notably those leading the efforts to reform the banking sector following the 2014 bank fraud of USD 1 billion (equal to 12% of GDP); calls on Moldovan politicians and the judiciary as a whole to join in with such efforts to reform the country and fight corruption in line with the AA commitments;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent elections respecting the will of the citizens – and the rule of law – including the independence of the judiciary – being undermined by the ruling political leaders colluding with business interests and unopposed by much of the political class and the judiciary; reiterates its determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values rather than unconvincing so-called ‘geopolitical’ arguments;

Amendment 24

Norica Nicolai

Expresses concern in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent elections respecting the will of the citizens – and the rule of law – including the independence of the judiciary; reiterates its determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values;

Amendment 25

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to
which Moldova had subscribed as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent elections respecting the will of the citizens – and the rule of law – including the independence of the judiciary – being undermined; reiterates its
determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values, with all the necessary EU support;

Amendment 26

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Expresses grave concern about democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent
elections respecting the will of the citizens – and the rule of law – including the independence of the judiciary – being
undermined by the political leaders colluding with business interests and unopposed by much of the political class
and the judiciary; reiterates its determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values rather than artificial ‘geopolitical’ arguments;

Amendment 27

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to
which Moldova had subscribed as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent elections respecting the will of the citizens – and the rule of law – including the independence of the judiciary – – being undermined by the ruling political leaders, who were supported by the EU following a coup that was staged under the guise of an alleged popular uprising on 6 and 7 April 2009, colluding with business interests and unopposed by much of the political class and the judiciary since they benefit from the goodwill shown by the EU, NATO and the USA; reiterates its determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values rather than unconvincing so-called ‘geopolitical’ arguments;

Amendment 28

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent elections respecting the will of the citizens, as well as multi-party democratic system – and the rule of law – including the independence and impartiality of the judiciary – being undermined by the ruling political leaders
colluding with business interests and unopposed by much of the political class and the judiciary; reiterates its determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values
rather than unconvincing so-called ‘geopolitical’ arguments;

Amendment 29

Cristian Dan Preda

Monica Macovei

Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed notably as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent elections
respecting the will of the citizens – and the rule of law – including the independence of the judiciary – being undermined by the
ruling political leaders colluding with business interests and unopposed by much of the political class and the judiciary,resulting in the Republic of Moldova being a state captured by oligarchic interests; reiterates its determination to
focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values rather than unconvincing so-called ‘geopolitical’ arguments;

Amendment 30

Helmut Scholz

New 3.a

Reiterates its concern over the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small group of people and the influence which those people wield over the parliament, government, political parties, stateadministration, police, judiciary and media; notes that this contradicts the letter and spirit of the Association Agreement;

Amendment 31

Helmut Scholz

New 3.b

Expresses its profound concern that, despite legislative advances on institutional reform, the results of thatlegislation’s implementation, particularly in the rule of law, good governance, the independence of the judiciary,democratic, social and civil rights and the fight against corruption, are deeply unsatisfactory;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation as well as the removal of Dorin Chirtoacă from the Chișinău mayor’s office and the invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase, has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro
Financial Assistance (MFA) and of outstanding payments of EU budget support;

Amendment 32

Norica Nicolai

Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase, has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial
Assistance (MFA); welcomes the creation of a cross-party parliamentary commission to analyse the Chisinau election crisis and with the objective ofproposing legislation to ensure the situation cannot be repeated;

Amendment 33

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, with the
invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase leading to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial
Assistance (MFA) and of outstanding payments of EU budget support;

Amendment 34

Knut Fleckenstein

Andi Cristea

Regrets the removal of Dorin Chirtoacă from the Chișinău mayor’s office and the invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase, and that it has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) and of outstanding payments of EU budget support; recalls that the type of electoral system Moldova choses for itself is a sovereign choice and that the Council ofEurope’s Venice Commission’s remit should extend to recommendations on proper implementation of the electoral law in full respect of democratic standards rather than the electoral system itself; reiterates the great importance it attaches to those recommendations;

Amendment 35

Helmut Scholz

Regrets that the deliberate violation of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in
particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation as well as Dorin Chirtoacă’s dismissal as mayor of Chișinău and the invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase, has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) and of
outstanding payments of EU budget support;

Amendment 36

Petras Auštrevičius

Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation as well as the suspension of Dorin Chirtoacă from the colluding with business interests and unopposed by much of the political class and the judiciary; reiterates its determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values rather than unconvincing so – called ‘geopolitical’ arguments; Chișinău mayor’s office and the invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase, has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial
Assistance (MFA) and of outstanding
payments of EU budget support;

Amendment 37

Andrey Kovatchev

Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation as well as the suspension of Dorin Chirtoacă from the Chișinău mayor’s office and the invalidation of the election of Andrei
Năstase, has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) and of outstanding
payments of EU budget support;

Amendment 38

Charles Tannock

Regrets the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation as well as the removal of Dorin Chirtoacă from the Chișinău mayor’s office and the invalidation of the election of
Andrei Năstase, that has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) and of
outstanding payments of EU budget support;

Amendment 39

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation – which did not address some of the key recommendationsof the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR joint opinion – as well as the removal of Dorin Chirtoacă from the Chișinău mayor’s office and the invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase, has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) and of outstanding payments of EU budget support;

Amendment 40

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation as well as the removal of Dorin Chirtoacă from the Chișinău
mayor’s office and the invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase, has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) and of outstanding payments of EU budget support; condemns the interference of the Constitutional Court in the rights of the legislative and executive authorities, including when it temporarily relieves the Moldovan President Igor Dodon of his duties, as part of the powers granted by the constitutional system, so that the Prime Minister can sign legislation that the democratically elected President has vetoed;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the planned parliamentary elections and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS)
to continue reallocating funds to support civil society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media, as well as the private sector and local authorities, and to coordinate efforts with other organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance conditionality;

Amendment 41

Dobromir Sośnierz

Reiterates its position that any
decision on future MFA disbursement
should only take place after the planned
parliamentary elections and on condition
that they are conducted in line with
internationally recognised standards and
assessed by specialised international
bodies, and that the payment of all budget
support programmes should remain on hold
until meaningful progress in democratic
standards takes place; calls, in the
meantime, on the Commission and the
European External Action Service (EEAS)
to coordinate efforts with other
organisations, such as the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance
conditionality;

Amendment 42

Knut Fleckenstein

Andi Cristea

Reiterates its position that any
decision on future MFA disbursement
should only take place after the planned
parliamentary elections and on condition
that they are conducted in line with
internationally recognised standards and
assessed by specialised international
bodies, and that the payment of all budget
support programmes should remain on hold
until meaningful progress in democratic
standards takes place; calls, in the
meantime, on the Commission and the
European External Action Service (EEAS)
to coordinate efforts with other
organisations, such as the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure greater
coherence in terms of financial assistance
conditionality;

Amendment 43

Norica Nicolai

Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the planned
parliamentary elections and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international
bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place; calls, in the
meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue reallocating funds to support structural development projects, the civil
society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media, as well as the private sector and local authorities;

Amendment 44

Helmut Scholz

Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the planned
parliamentary elections and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international
bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic standards and the rule of law takes place, transparency is created with regard topolitical and administrative decisionmakingprocesses, effective steps are taken in the fight against corruption and the judiciary’s politically motivated actions against political opponents andtheir lawyers cease; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) not to reallocate any funds and to freeze themoney in question;

Amendment 45

Petras Auštrevičius

Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the
parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2019 and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by
specialised international bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until
meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the
European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue reallocating funds to support civil society and independent media in Moldova as well as the private sector and
local authorities, and to coordinate efforts with other organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance conditionality; awaits with caution, the outcome of the review of the electoral legislation by the Parliament’s Legal Committee for appointments and immunities;

Amendment 46

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the planned
parliamentary elections and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international
bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should be conditional to meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place; calls, in the
meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue allocating funds to support civil society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media, as well as the private sector and local authorities, and to coordinate efforts with other
organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance conditionality;

Amendment 47

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the planned
parliamentary elections and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international
bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place; calls, in the
meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue reallocating funds to support concrete development projects and civil
society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media as well as the private sector and local authorities, and to coordinate efforts with other organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance conditionality;

Amendment 48

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the planned
parliamentary elections and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international
bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue reallocating funds to support civil society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media, as well as the private sector and local authorities, and to coordinate efforts with other organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance conditionality; calls on the EuropeanCommission to develop a mechanism to monitor reforms in key sectors, as well as qualitative results coming from the macro-financial assistance;

Amendment 49

Siegfried Mureşan

Monica Macovei

Cristian Dan Preda

Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the planned
parliamentary elections and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic
standards takes place, as well as in identifying and punishing the responsible persons for the bank fraud; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the
European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue reallocating funds to support civil society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media, as well as
the private sector and local authorities, preferably coordinated with assistance from other EU countries, and to coordinate efforts with other organisations,
such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance conditionality;

Amendment 50

Knut Fleckenstein

Andi Cristea

Add (new)

5a. Calls on the EEAS and the Commission to fully operationalise the political conditionality attached to Union assistance by way of clear, verifiable and transparent reform benchmarks and to communicate them publically;

Amendment 51

Cristian Dan Preda

Monica Macovei

Add new

5a.Calls, moreover, for any future MFA disbursement, as well as any budget support programme to be equallyconditional upon the validation of the 2018 mayoral elections that took place in Chișinău and on the return to a rule of law instead of a rule of an oligarch, return which should include credible reforms in the judiciary sector;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Recalls the contents of Articles 2
and 455 of the AA, according to which
respect for democratic principles
constitutes an essential element of the AA,
which, if violated, may also lead to the
suspension of rights related to this
agreement; also recalls the anti-corruption
and anti-money laundering benchmarks
related to the visa liberalisation policy;

Amendment 52

Norica Nicolai

Recalls the contents of Articles 2
and 455 of the AA, according to which
respect for democratic principles
constitutes an essential element of the AA,
which, if violated, may also lead to the
suspension of rights related to this
agreement;

Amendment 53

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Recalls the contents of Articles 2 and 455 of the AA, according to which respect for democratic principles constitutes an essential element of the AA, which, if violated, may also lead to the
suspension of rights related to this agreement;

Amendment 54

Norica Nicolai

Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Welcomes the effective implementation of the short term visa-free regime, underlining that a significant number of Moldovan citizens have benefited of the enhanced possibilities for people-to-people contacts since its entry into force; recalls that further special attention needs to be paid to the continuous fulfilment of the anticorruption and anti-money laundering benchmarks;

Amendment 55

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a.Calls on the Commission, in line with the European Parliament resolution of 13 September 2017 on corruption and human rights in third countries, to actively consider the option of negotiating a supplementary clause to the Association Agreement about fighting corruption inview of the grave and systemic corruption in Moldova;

Amendment 56

Javier Nart

Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a.Demands that any future agreement must be based on the achievement of an efficient and independent justice system and swift, thorough and resolutive investigation and prosecution of those responsible of the 1 million dollar “laundromat” fraud;

Amendment 57

Petras Auštrevičius

Subheading 1 a (new)

Institutional framework in place to implement the Agreement.

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

new

Amendment 58-65

Petras Auštrevičius

-7a.Welcomes the adoption of many laws in line with Moldova’s commitments as part of the AA; underlines nevertheless the importance of a swift and full implementation of such laws in order to reach the ultimate objective of the AA to deliver tangible and sustainableimprovements to the living conditions of ordinary citizens in Moldova;

-7b.Calls for a stronger involvement of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration in providing highlevel political oversight and scrutiny of the implementation of the AA, notably through a continued streamlining of relevant parliamentary and governmental structures and their enhanced administrative capacities, the coordination and synchronisation of line ministries’ plans and their full and effective implementation;

-7c.Welcomes the establishment of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and its first meeting held on 8-9 June 2018 in Kyiv; encourages this assembly to also scrutinise the implementation of the association agreements;

-7d.Urges the Moldovan authorities to put more effort into AA implementation and organise – notably the NAPIAA itself – according to specific sectors and specific results to be generated rather thanaccording to articles of the AA, to develop detailed prioritisation and sequencing of measures, driven by impact assessment and drawn up by dedicated expert units;

-7e.Calls on the EEAS / European Commission to set up, subject to progress on democratic standards, a dedicated EU Support Group for Moldova, to increase the delivery of expertise, notably on theapproximation of Moldovan legislation with that of the EU, and coordinate, when the conditions are fulfilled, the delivery of financial assistance to Moldova in support of the implementation of the AA;

-7f.Urges the EEAS / European Commission to boost internal capabilities to step up monitoring of the implementation of the AA, notably through a significant increase in dedicated human resources, as well as to move towards a qualitative assessment of progress, notably through introduction of screening processes, allowing to assess the level of alignment with the EU acquis actually achieved as required by the AA;

-7g.Welcomes the enhanced ministerial-level dialogue with Moldova as well as other associated partners on association-related reforms in the area of trade and supports, subject to progress ondemocratic standards, the launch of such dialogues in other areas covered by the AA, including the political dialogue, justice freedom and security and sectoral cooperation;

-7i.Recalls and supports the opinion of the Venice Commission on the electoral reform, according to which the change towards a mixed electoral system for parliamentary elections lacked consensus(other than from the Democratic and Socialist parties) and may lead to candidates being unduly influenced by business interests; reiterates therefore its call on the Moldovan authorities toimprove the electoral system to ensure that future elections reflect the will of the Moldovan citizens rather than that of a select few; also calls on the Moldovan authorities to fully implement therecommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR, notably on party financing and media freedom and pluralism; reaffirms the European Parliament’s readiness to observe the next parliamentary elections;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the new audiovisual code in line with European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission; emphasises the importance of genuine
consultations with civil society and the independent media before the final adoption of the new audiovisual code, and the need to discard all aspects that may undermine media pluralism;

Amendment 66

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Welcomes the adoption of the new audiovisual code in line with European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission and calls for its swift and fullimplementation;

Amendment 67

Norica Nicolai

Notes that will follow with attention the implementation of the new Audiovisual Media Service Code (adopted on the 26 of July 2018) in line with
European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission;

Amendment 68

Petras Auštrevičius

Welcomes the adoption in July 2018 of a new audio-visual code and urges the Moldovan authorities to fully
implement the code in line with European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission;
emphasises the importance of genuine consultations with civil society and the independent media in this process and that of adopting a new law on advertising;stresses the need to avoid all attempts to undermine media pluralism, notably those that would further encourage the cartelisation of the media market andrelated advertising market; calls for dedicated assistance to the independent media, especially local outlets, to comply with the code’s requirements regarding obligatory local content; stresses theimportance of ensuring a genuine independence of the media regulatory agency;

Amendment 69

Andrey Kovatchev

Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the new audiovisual code; expresses concern that important changes were introduced into the text of the Code shortly before its adoption on 26 July, which were not part of consultations with the media community and civil society; stresses the high importance of the Code being in line with the European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission; emphasises the need of assisting independent media, especially local outlets, to comply with the Code’s requirements regarding obligatory local content; stresses the importance of ensuring the genuine independence of the media regulatory agency and the need to discard all aspects that may undermine media pluralism; notes with concern the increased cartelisation of the media market;

Amendment 70

Rebecca Harms

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the new audiovisual code in line with European
standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission; emphasises the importance of genuine consultations with civil society and the
independent media before the final adoption of the new audiovisual code, and the need to discard all aspects that may undermine media pluralism with regard, inparticular, to the transparency of media ownership;

Amendment 71

Monica Macovei, Siegfried Mureşan,

Cristian Dan Preda, Laima Liucija Andrikienė

Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement a new audiovisual code in line with European
standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission; emphasises the importance of genuine consultations with civil society and the
independent media before the final adoption of the new audiovisual code, and the need to discard all aspects that may undermine media pluralism; notes with concern that currently, the media is highly monopolised and subordinate to the country’s political and businessgroups, as according to an Amnesty International report, ownership remains concentrated in the hands of a few individuals;

Amendment 72

Helmut Scholz

expresses concern about the monopolisation of the media landscape by the country’s major political and economic actors, who have also divided up the advertising market between themselves; urges the Moldovan authorities to apply themselves to solving this problem, and in particular to swiftly adopt and fully implement the new audiovisual code in line with European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission; emphasises the importance of genuine consultations with civil society and the independent media before the final adoption of the new audiovisual code, and the need to discard all aspects recently adopted without such consultations or that
may undermine media pluralism;

Amendment 73

Victor Boştinaru

Andi Cristea

Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the new audiovisual code in line with European
standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission; emphasises the importance of genuine consultations with civil society and the
independent media before the final adoption of the new audiovisual code, and the need to discard all aspects that may undermine media pluralism; underlines theneed to fight Russian hybrid threats, as well as propaganda and disinformation campaigns, including through technical assistance from the EU and through the activity of the East StratCom Task Force,which should be adequately strengthened;

Amendment 74

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the new audiovisual code in line with European
standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission; emphasises the importance of genuine consultations with civil society and the
independent media before the final adoption of the new audiovisual code, and the need to discard all aspects that may undermine media pluralism; condemns the discriminatory provisions in the code regarding quotas for the maximum number of hours of Russian language programming; emphasises that there mustbe strict compliance with the rights of theAutonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia regarding culture, language and audiovisual media, otherwise it risks increasing tensions between communitiesand provoking a new domestic conflict;

Amendment 75

Andrey Kovatchev

new

7a.Notes the need for the adoption of the new law on advertising, following a genuine consultation with civil society and independent media in order to promote the opening up of the advertising market, which is currently concentrated in the hands of few major actors;

Amendment 76

Rebecca Harms

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

new

7a.Urges the Moldovan authorities to adopt the new Law on advertising, following a genuine consultation with civil society and independent media in order to dismantle the current concentration of the advertising market in the hands of two companies only;

Amendment 77

Petras Auštrevičius

7a.Welcomes the reform efforts in the areas of public administration reform and public financial management and encourages further steps to be taken to increase transparency;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Welcomes the good cooperation on
CFSP matters and the symbolic
participation in common security and
defence policy (CSDP) missions and
operations; takes note of the progress in
adopting a new Defence Strategy and
Action Plan 2017-2021 following the
withdrawal of the National Security
Strategy by the President of Moldova;

Amendment 78

Helmut Scholz

Takes note of the cooperation on CFSP matters and the symbolic participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations up to this point; emphasises its concern that a strong orientation towards increased cooperation with NATO and thecharacterisation of Russia as a central security threat for Moldova, as established in the new Defence Strategy adopted by majority by parliament in July and in the Action Plan 2017-2021, undermines the country’s declared neutral status and, together with the over 100 per cent increase in arms spending, could block progress in regulating the conflict overTransnistria; reiterates that this would be counter to the EU’s involvement in the regulation of Transnistria;

Amendment 79

Norica Nicolai

Welcomes the good cooperation on CFSP matters and notably the high rate of alignment to the CFSP Declarations and the participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations; takes note of the progress in adopting a new Defence Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2021 following the withdrawal of the National Security Strategy by the President of Moldova;

Amendment 80

Petras Auštrevičius

Welcomes the good cooperation on CFSP matters, the high rate of alignment to CFSP declarations and the participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations; takes note of the progress in adopting a new Defence Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2021 following the withdrawal of the National Security Strategy by the President of Moldova;

Amendment 81

Andi Cristea, Victor Boştinaru

Welcomes the good and systematic cooperation on CFSP matters and the participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations; takes note of the progress in adopting a new Defence Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2021 following the withdrawal of the National Security Strategy by the President of Moldova;

Amendment 82

Anders Primdahl Vistisen

Welcomes the good cooperation on CFSP matters and the symbolic participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations; welcomes Moldova’s enduring cooperation with NATO via its Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and the recent opening of the NATO Liaison office in Chisinau; takes note of the progress in adopting a new Defence Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2021 following the withdrawal of the National Security Strategy by the President of Moldova;

Amendment 83

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Welcomes the good cooperation on CFSP matters and the symbolic participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations; takes note of the progress in adopting a new Defence Strategy and
Action Plan 2017-2021 following the withdrawal of the National Security Strategy by the President of Moldova; emphasises that the EU and its States must fully respect the neutrality stipulated in Article 11 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova;

Amendment 84

Norica Nicolai

Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a.Welcomes and further encourages the good cooperation on mitigating and countering hybrid threats; welcomes the entry into force of the EU-Moldova Agreement on the exchange of classified information and looks forward to swift completion of the remaining procedures in order to make this Agreement operational;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Commends the Moldovan authorities for the incremental improvement of relations with Tiraspol notably with the opening of the Gura Bîcului-Bîcioc bridge and the signature of an additional six protocols, thus improving the lives of citizens on both sides of the Nistru river; encourages the authorities to further build on this level of engagement;
calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts to ensure a swift and final adoption of the Law of the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia;

Amendment 85

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Commends the Moldovan authorities for the incremental
improvement of relations with Tiraspol notably with the opening of the Gura Bîcului-Bîcioc bridge and the signature of an additional six protocols, thus improving
the lives of citizens on both sides of the Nistru river; emphasises the harmful role that the USA and the EU played in the Transnistrian crisis not being resolveddue to lobbying President Voronin not to sign the Memorandum negotiated in November 2003 by the Russian Special Envoy, Dmitry Kozak; welcomes thepositive role that President Dodon has played in soothing tensions between Chișinău and Tiraspol; hopes that other former Soviet states will follow theMoldovan model by adopting the same practical and humane approach toward their breakaway territories, thereby continuing dialogue and practicalengagement without inviting controversy with their own citizens in these territories; calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts to ensure a swift and final adoption of the Law of the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia, cooperating fully with the autonomousregion’s authorities; respecting the referendum results from 2 February 2014 in which the citizens of Gagauzia soundly rejected European integration and instead voted for Eurasian integration;

Amendment 86

Helmut Scholz

Commends the Moldovan authorities for the material implementation of the confidencebuilding measures agreed to in the Berlin Protocol by the participants in the 5+2 format, thus incrementally improving both relations with Transnistriaand the lives of citizens on both sides of the Nistru river; upports the corresponding efforts of the OSCE, the EU and the other participants in the 5+2 format unreservedly and encourages the authorities in Moldova to further build on this level of engagement; calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts to ensure a swift and final adoption of the Law of the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia;

Amendment 87

Norica Nicolai

Commends the Moldovan authorities for the incremental improvement of relations with Tiraspol notably with the opening of the Gura Bîcului-Bîcioc bridge and the signature of an additional six protocols, thus improving the lives of citizens on both sides of the Nistru river; encourages the authorities to further build on this level of engagement; calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts for the implementation of the Law of the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia;

Amendment 88

Andi Cristea, Victor Boştinaru

Commends the Moldovan authorities for the incremental improvement of relations with Tiraspol notably with the opening of the Gura Bîcului-Bîcioc bridge and the signature of an additional six protocols, thus improving
the lives of citizens on both sides of the Nistru river; encourages the authorities to further build on this level of engagement; calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts for the implementation of the Law of the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia;

Amendment 89

Petras Auštrevičius

Commends the Moldovan authorities for the incremental improvement of relations with Tiraspol notably with the opening of the Gura Bîcului-Bîcioc bridge and the signature of an additional six protocols, thus improving
the lives of citizens on both sides of the Nistru river; encourages the authorities to further build on this level of engagement; calls on the Moldovan authorities to
undertake additional efforts to ensure a swift adoption of an amended Law of the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia;

Amendment 90

Monica Macovei, Cristian Dan Preda,

Siegfried Mureşan, Laima Liucija Andrikienė

Commends the Moldovan authorities for the incremental improvement of relations with Tiraspol notably with the opening of the Gura Bîcului-Bîcioc bridge and the signature of an additional six protocols, thus improving
the lives of citizens on both sides of the Nistru river; encourages the authorities to cooperate in particular with SMEs from Transnistria,to further build on this level of engagement and to make additional efforts in ensuring that human rights, including the right to use the mother tongue, are respected on both sides of the Nistru river; urges the authorities in Chisinau to abide by all ECHR decisions; calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts to ensure a
swift and final adoption of the Law of the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia;

Amendment 91

Victor Boştinaru, Andi Cristea

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Reiterates its support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova and the efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the Transnistrianissue;

Amendment 92

Urmas Paet

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a.Stresses the need for a peaceful solution to the Transnistrian conflict; emphasises the EU´s firm commitment to the territorial integrity of Moldova; calls on the Russian Federation to immediately stop its support for the self-proclaimed authorities in Transnistria and fulfil the commitments made in 1996 in the Councilof Europe and reflected in OSCE decisions (Istanbul, 1999 and Oporto, 2002) concerning the withdrawal of Russian troops and arms from the territory of Moldova;

Amendment 93

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a.emphasises its belief that a solution to the conflicts with Transnistria following the wording of a ‘special legal status, observing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova’ is highly dependent on the reform agenda for overcoming, in particular, the endemiccorruption and the occupation of the state by a small clique of oligarchs in Moldova being implemented;

Amendment 94

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a.Welcomes Moldova gaining observer status for the Eurasian Economic Union in May 2018;emphasises that Moldova’s new relationship to the large economic union on the Eurasian continent will turn the country into a link between the EU, Russia and other EEU members, soothing tensions within a Europe that is too often divided by disputes that can otherwise be avoided;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Urges the authorities to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources and guaranteeing transparent selection procedures with the participation of independent expert recruiters;

Amendment 95

Norica Nicolai

Supports the Moldovan authorities in ensuring the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources and guaranteeing transparent andinclusive selection procedures;

Amendment 96

Andi Cristea, Victor Boştinaru

Urges the authorities to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources and guaranteeing transparent selection procedures;

Amendment 97

Helmut Scholz

Urges the authorities to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the National Anticorruption Centre, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources and guaranteeing transparent selection procedures with the participation of independent expert recruiters;

Amendment 98

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Urges the authorities to ensure the independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the National Integrity Authority, the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, the National Anticorruption Centre (CNA) and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Office, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate
resources and guaranteeing transparent selection procedures with the participation of independent expert recruiters;

Amendment 99

Cristian Dan Preda, Monica Macovei

Urges the authorities to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources and guaranteeing transparent selection procedures with the participation of independent expert recruiters; notes the importance of establishing a solid track record of investigations in corruption cases, including high-level profiles;

Amendment 100

Andrey Kovatchev

Notes with concern the slow rate of reforms which could jeopardize the process as a whole; urges the Parliament to adopt the Constitutional amendments in line with the Venice Commission recommendations aimed at strengthening judicial independence; urges the authorities to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of
Prosecutors, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources and guaranteeing transparent selection procedures with the participation of independent expert recruiters;

Amendment 101

Petras Auštrevičius

Urges the authorities to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council
of Prosecutors, the Anticorruption Prosecution Office, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources, guaranteeing transparent selection procedures with the participation of independent expert recruiters and adopting Constitutional amendments in line with Venice Commission recommendations, aimed notably atremoving the initial 5-year appointment term for judges, changing the composition and strengthening the role of the Superior Council of Magistracy and removing the Parliament’s powers to appoint judges ofthe Supreme Court;

Amendment 102

Julia Pitera

Paragraph 10a (new)

10a.Points out that according to the Transparency International report from 2015 entitled “The State of Corruption: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine”, the judiciary in Moldova suffers from limited independence from the executive, which has had a significant impact on its ability to play an active role in the fight against corruption; underlines with concern that in Moldova judicial reforms are lagging behind and are perceived to be highly politicised;

Amendment 103

Charles Tannock

Paragraph 10a (new)

10a.Reiterates its concerns about the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a narrow group of people, which is contributing to a deterioration in the rule of law, of democratic standards, and of respect forhuman rights;

Amendment 104

Monica Macovei, Cristian Dan Preda,

Siegfried Mureşan, Laima Liucija Andrikienė

Paragraph 10a (new)

10a.Is deeply concerned with the selective justice practices of the Moldovan judiciary, which remains highly corrupt, demonstrating a servile attitude towards the ruling political and business groups, and being often used as an instrument against political and business opponents; regrets that the Constitutional Courtremains highly politicised; urges the Moldovan Government to amend the Constitution, as to guarantee the independence of all judges; reiterates that ensuring the independence of the judiciary is essential to fully implementing the provisions of the AA;

Amendment 105

Rebecca Harms

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Paragraph 10a (new)

10a.Urges the Moldovan Parliament to ensure that the Constitutional amendments which are to be adopted are in line with Venice Commission recommendations aimed at strengthening judicial independence;

Amendment 106

Norica Nicolai

Paragraph 10a (new)

10a.Welcomes legislative amendments adopted in July 2018 meant to strengthen merit based selection and promotion of judges, as well as their accountability;

Amendment 107

Charles Tannock

Paragraph 10b (new)

10b.Expresses concern about the lack of independence of the judiciary, particularly cases of selective justice being used as a tool to exert pressure on political opponents and calls on the Moldovan authorities to reform the judicial system, including the nomination of new judges;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets;

Amendment 108

Georgios Epitideios

Reiterates its calls, based on the indings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for the bringing to justice of all those responsible for the
USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets;

Amendment 109

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, including those given positions of power by the EU, as well as the recovery of stolen assets;

Amendment 110

Norica Nicolai

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets; takes note of the Strategy on assetrecovery adopted by the Moldovan authorities and calls on the relevant EU Member States to provide necessary international judicial assistance for itssuccessful implementation;

Amendment 111

Petras Auštrevičius

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets; takes note of the Strategy on asset recovery adopted by the Moldovan authorities as one of the many required steps in this regard; stresses the need for the courts to promptly examine the cases that are pending or undergoing investigations, notably that of Ilhan Shor, in open hearings;

Amendment 112

Andrey Kovatchev

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets; stresses the need for the courts topromptly examine the pending case of Ilan Shor in open hearings and for the prosecution to swiftly bring to court any other pending investigations on the bank fraud;

Amendment 113

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets; encourages the authorities to publish the full version of the second Kroll report on the fraudulent schemes; calls on the Moldovan authorities for an international investigation regarding the USD 1 billion bank fraud;

Amendment 114

Rebecca Harmson behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets; calls on the EU Member States to step up the cooperation with the Moldovan judicial authorities in order to find out the financial flows of the stolen assets in EU banks;

Amendment 115

Monica Macovei, Cristian Dan Preda,

Siegfried Mureşan

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets; notes with concern that the investigation into this case has been conducted rather ineffectively and that the Moldovan authorities have only managed to recover a relatively small part of the funds caught in the fraud; deplores the numerous delays in the trial, which for over one year, have less to a person convicted by the first instance court to over 7 years in prison, to avoid serving the sentence in prison, in the absence of a finalconviction, as the appeal is being postponed; urges the Moldovan authorities to publish the Kroll report on the bank fraud, so that taxpayers can get information on how their money disappeared;

Amendment 116

Helmut Scholz

Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and as yet partially unpublished second Kroll reports, for a swift and fullytransparent prosecution of all those responsible for the criminal USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of the stolen assets; calls for measures to be taken to ensure that situations such as the very recent one in which fifteen judges involved in a major money-laundering scandal were initially arrested, but then covertly re-released shortly thereafter, and now some of them are working in the very same positions, can never happen again;

Amendment 117

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 11a (new)

11a.Expresses grave concern about the sustained efforts to delay the successful investigation of the criminal bank fraud both through political and legal avenues, as well as to use the oligarchy-controlled media to expel the issue from public discourse; finds it unacceptable that the Moldovan authorities have obviously yet to make any requests for assistance to the Member States of the EU affected by thebank fraud, and that so far none of the accounts believed to have been used for stashing or laundering stolen money have been disclosed;

Amendment 118

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 11b (new)

11b.finds it deeply disturbing in light of information received from its Moldovan partners that the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova are blatantly failing to follow up solid evidence to get uncover the truth about the bank fraud and moneylaundering,falsifying evidence, and are even believed to be exerting pressure on lawyers to abandon their efforts to uncover the truth; calls on Moldovan politicians, in light of this, to create regulations to ensure that data required to
prosecute the criminal financial transactions do not, legally speaking, ‘expire’ and/or are not deleted because of
some ‘expiry date’; expects a swift end to the ongoing prosecution of Ilan Shor;

Amendment 119

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 11c (new)

11c.Considers it to be similarly politically unacceptable for the same political circles to have decided to convertprivately stolen funds into public debts and as a consequence, the burden of repaying these losses will be passed to the same people as have already had theirpension savings stolen in the bank fraud by way of an increased tax burden until 2041; emphasises that this has further increased the apathy towards and severeloss of trust in politics and that, as a consequence, one in five Moldovans is currently planning to permanently leavethe country and seek their own prospects in a foreign country;

Amendment 120

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 11d (new)

11d.calls on the European Commission, with reference to Article 18 of the Association Agreement and theAnti-Money Laundering Directive, to fulfil its obligations regardless of the activities required of Moldova and toindependently take action to solve the criminal bank fraud and, in doing so, to personally sanction both the guilty parties and those people who acted against itssuccessful investigation and the punishment of the guilty parties; calls on the Commission to provide Parliamentwith information about relevant measures and activities in a suitable format;

Amendment 121

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 11e (new)

11e.emphasises that the efforts to reform and stabilise the banking system cannot substitute for investigating thecriminal bank fraud and money laundering of over USD 20 billion of funds stolen from the Russian national budget; calls for an immediate end to the political efforts to legalise illegally acquired financial means and provide impunity for criminal financial transactions, which have been ongoing inMoldova since 2016, and for the relevant bills to be withdrawn;

Amendment 122

Petras Auštrevičius

Paragraph 11f (new)

11f.Expresses concern about the increased risk of money laundering following the adoption of the so-called “fiscal reform package” in July 2018 which includes a tax amnesty scheme; calls for it to be amended to close suchloopholes and, in the meantime, commits to remain very attentive to its implementation, in coordination with the Commission, EEAS and other international organisations;

Amendment 123

Monica Macovei, Cristian Dan Preda,

Siegfried Mureşan, Laima Liucija Andrikienė

Paragraph 11f (new)

11f.Acknowledges with deep regret that the recent fiscal reforms have been adopted hastily and without any publicconsultation or a debate in parliament; is concerned that some provisions may seriously undermine the country’s efforts to effectively fight corruption, money laundering or fraud; warns that these provisions may lead to a breach of the commitments made within the framework of the AA;

Amendment 124

Julia Pitera

Paragraph 11f (new)

11f.Deplores the adoption of the fiscal reform package by Moldavian authorities, which introduces a tax amnesty legalising assets acquired illicitly in exchange for a3 per cent fee on the declared asset; highlights that this decision has already been criticised by the EU, the UnitedStates, the IMF and the World Bank as an act which legalizes theft and corruption, damages the business environment and undermines the Moldovan government’scommitment to fighting corruption;

Amendment 125

Julia Pitera

Paragraph 11g (new)

Amendment 126

Andrey Kovatchev

Paragraph 11g (new)

11g. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to repeal the so-called tax amnesty legislation, which risks to encourage money laundering and corrupt behaviour, compromising the efforts to fight corruption in Moldova, and could also have a detrimental effect on the business climate in the country;

Amendment 127

Rebecca Harms
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Paragraph 11 g (new)

11g.Urges the Moldovan Parliament to reform the tax legislation in line with EU standards and to adopt all the necessary measures aimed at preventing moneylaundering;

Anders Primdahl Vistisen

Paragraph 11 h (new)

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 12

Calls for direct online consultations of the electronic declarations of senior political and administrative individuals’ assets to be enabled, following Ukraine’s example;

Amendment 129

Norica Nicolai

deleted

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 13

Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb funding for Moldovan NGOs;

Amendment 130

Georgios Epitideios

Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an environment that does not hamper the activities of civil society; expects that no future legislation will curb funding for Moldovan NGOs, provided that the funds are used in a fully transparent manner;

Amendment 131

Norica Nicolai

Welcomes the adoption of the 2018-2020 National Strategy for Development of the Civil Society and the Action Plan regarding its implementation; Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb fair and transparent funding for Moldovan NGOs;

Amendment 132

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society, including Russian speaking civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb funding for Moldovan NGOs;

Amendment 133

Julia Pitera

Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; underlines the essential role of civil society in drawing up, scrutinising and monitoring the implementation of reforms related to the Eastern Partnership as well as in promoting the transparency and accountability of public institutions; opposes all measures seeking to limit legitimate activities of civil society and expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb funding for Moldovan NGOs;

Amendment 134

Andrey Kovatchev

Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb both national and foreign funding for Moldovan NGOs or will unduly increase the administrative and reporting burden on Moldovan NGOs;

Amendment 135

Petras Auštrevičius

Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb foreign funding for Moldovan NGOs or will unduly increase the administrative and reporting burden on them;

Amendment 136

Rebecca Harmson behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb foreign funding for Moldovan NGOs or will unduly increase the administrative and reporting burden on Moldovan NGOs;

Amendment 137

Soraya Post

Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a.Calls for an increased attention when drafting and implementing legislation in areas affecting civil society space, to ensure that the legislation does not placed is proportionate burdens on civil society organisations, does not have a discriminatory impact or diminish civil society space; underlines the need for public funding available for CSOs working on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, including watchdog and advocacy organizations; including for small grassroots organisations and those working with minority or marginalized groups; CSOs should be free to receive funding from other donors, such as private donors, international organisations, bodies or agencies;

Amendment 138

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a.Urges authorities to strengthen public participation in the decisionmaking process as well as dialogue with civil society and local authorities; regrets that in a number of cases citizens participation has been restricted as it was in March 2018 when the Central Electoral Commission rejected the application to organise a referendum over the recent and questionable changes of the electoral system;

Amendment 139

Monica Macovei, Cristian Dan Preda,

Siegfried Mureşan

Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a.Calls for the efficient implementation of the European Parliament Resolution of 5 July 2018 on the political crisis in Moldova following the invalidation of the mayoral elections in Chisinau (2018/2783(RSP)) where it was demanded to the European Commission to suspend budgetary support for Moldova and provided a list of conditions that have to be implemented by the Moldovan authorities;

Amendment 140

Monica Macovei, Cristian Dan Preda,

Siegfried Mureşan

Paragraph 13b (new)

13b.Considers that the EU financial support to Moldova should give priority to new partnership projects, based on the experiences of past such projects, where local authorities are involved in order to receive direct financial assistance; encourages the Moldovan authorities to fully take into account the good practices already developed by some EU Member States in this respect; calls on the Committee of Regions to support this initiative;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 14

Expresses concern about signs of a
further shrinking of space for the country’s
civil society, and calls on the authorities to
immediately halt undue or disproportionate
criminal proceedings against political
opponents, their lawyers and/or their
families; expresses specific concerns about
proceedings that target human rights
defenders, independent judges such as
Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan,
journalists and critics of the government or
of the President of the Democratic Party of
Moldova;

Amendment 141

Andi Cristea, Victor Boştinaru

Expresses concern about signs of a further shrinking of space for the country’s civil society, and calls on the authorities to immediately halt undue or disproportionate criminal proceedings against political opponents, their lawyers and/or their families; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders, independent judges, journalists and critical voices;

Amendment 142

Andrey Kovatchev

Expresses concern about signs of a further shrinking of space for the country’s civil society, and calls on the authorities to immediately halt undue or disproportionate
criminal proceedings and selective justice against political opponents, their lawyers and/or their families; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target
human rights defenders, independent judges such as Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan, journalists and critics of the government or of the President of the
Democratic Party of Moldova, Vladimir Plahotniuc;

Amendment 143

Norica Nicolai

Reaffirms support for the developmentof the country’s civil society, and calls on the authorities to immediately reassess criminal proceedings against political figures, their lawyers and/or their families; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders, independent judges and journalists;

Amendment 144

Victor Boştinaru, Andi Cristea

Expresses concern about signs of the shrinking of space for the country’s civil society, and calls for undue or disproportionate criminal proceedings against political opponents, their lawyers and/or their families to be stopped; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders, independent judges such as Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan, journalists and critics of the government or of the President of the Democratic Party of Moldova;

Amendment 145

Helmut Scholz

Expresses concern about a further shrinking of space for the country’s civil society to influence the form whichMoldova’s development takes; calls on the authorities to immediately halt undue or disproportionate criminal proceedings against political opponents, their lawyers
and/or their families; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders such as Ana Ursachi, independent judges such as Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan, journalists and critics of the government or of the oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc who, alongside his dominant position in Moldova’s economy and media, is also the President of the Democratic Party of Moldova;

Amendment 146

Petras Auštrevičius

Expresses concern about signs of a further shrinking of space for the country’s civil society, and calls on the authorities to immediately halt undue or disproportionate
criminal proceedings against political opponents, their lawyers and/or their families; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders, independent judges such as Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan, journalists and critics of the government or of the President of the Democratic Party of Moldova; also calls on the authorities to guarantee freedom of assembly and in particular the holding of peacefuldemonstrations;

Amendment 147

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Expresses concern about signs of a further shrinking of space for the country’s civil society, and calls on the authorities to immediately halt undue or disproportionate
criminal proceedings against political opponents, their lawyers and/or their families, such as Grigore Petrenco’slawyers, Ana Ursachi and Eduard Rudenco; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders, independent judges such as Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan, journalists and critics of the government or of the President of the Democratic Party of
Moldova;

Amendment 148

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Paragraph 14a (new)

14a.Urges the authorities to guarantee the right to a fair trial and the respect of human rights in detention premises; expresses concern about the wide-spread use of pre-trial detention and condemns any form of torture and ill-treatment against detainees;

Amendment 149

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a.expresses concern that the opponents of Moldova’s government bodies and their lawyers continue to be persecuted using false allegations and prosecutions; criticises the fact that embassies from EU Member States and the delegation from the EEAS are increasingly being prevented from observing trials by the Moldovan sidebarring the public from court proceedings; considers the fact that political opponents and their lawyers are increasingly forced to seek political asylum in EU Member States due to the actions of Moldova’s government bodies to be incompatible with the Association Agreement;

Amendment 150

Cristian Dan Preda, Monica Macovei

Paragraph 14a (new)

14a.Underlines the importance of freedom of assembly for the functioning of any democracy; deplores in this context the negative trends that can be observed in this area, notably the limitation of access to demonstrations, intimidation, threats and abuse of violence by the authorities and calls for a strict respect ofthis fundamental right;

Amendment 151

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 14b (new)

14b.calls on the government to follow national and international obligations and standards by comprehensively guaranteeing the rights to active participation in the political opinion anddecision-making process and the public and peaceful expression of opinion, as established by the right to free assembly;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15

Welcomes the adoption of a new National Gender Equality Strategy in 2017, and calls on the authorities to ensure its full implementation;

Amendment 152

Dobromir Sośnierz

Notes with concern the adoption of a new National Gender Equality Strategy in 2017, and calls on the authorities to abandon it;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 16

Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population;

Amendment 153

Monica Macovei, Cristian Dan Preda,

Siegfried Mureşan, Laima Liucija Andrikienė

Reminds that hate speech, harassment and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population remain of great concern; calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by effectively fighting these practices;

Amendment 154

Dobromir Sośnierz

Calls on the authorities to ignificantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, persons with disabilities, unborn children and minorities such as the Roma population;

Amendment 155

Georgios Epitideios

Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities and minorities, by fighting hate crimes and discrimination against those people;

Amendment 156

Urmas Paet

Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population; calls for Moldova to guarantee freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly and protests;

Amendment 157

Petras Auštrevičius

Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population, as well as hate speech and discrimination based on gender or political affiliation;

Amendment 158

Andrey Kovatchev

Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population, as well as gender based or political affiliation-based hate speech and discrimination based;

Amendment 159

Rebecca Harms
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population, as well as hate speech and discrimination based on gender; stresses the need for effective investigations into allegations of torture in detention and psychiatric institutions;

Amendment 160

Soraya Post

Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech, violence and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population from an intersectional perspective; Condemns the deeply-rooted stigmatisation and social exclusion of Roma arising from anti-Gypsyism;

Amendment 161

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population and Russian speakers in Moldova;

Amendment 162

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Paragraph 16a (new)

16a.Urges the authorities to further protect freedom of assembly as cases of intimidation of people willing toparticipate in public protests still occur; expresses serious concern for the restrictions on LGBT demonstrations aswell as for the homophobic statements also made by high-level political figures;

Amendment 163

Rebecca Harms

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Paragraph 16a (new)

16a.Calls on the Moldovan authorities to ensure the right to peaceful protest for all, in strict compliance with the national legislation and international standards;

Amendment 164

Rebecca Harms

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Paragraph 16b (new)

16b.Strongly condemns recent extradition/abduction of Turkish citizens to Turkey due to their alleged links to theGülen movement in violation of rule of law and basic human rights; urges Moldovan authorities to ensure that any extradition requests coming from third countries are processed in a transparent manner while following judicialprocedures fully in line with European principles and standards and that all actions taken by local authorities must be in full respect of the rule of law, of human rights and fundamental freedoms; stresses that arbitrary procedures concerning arrest, detention or extradition are in violation of these principles; calls on the Moldovanauthorities to protect all asylum seekers and examine their requests incompliance with international conventions; urges the EU to support and help the EasternPartnership countries withstand the pressure exerted by Turkey to return Turkish citizens forcefully and illegally toTurkey;

Amendment 165

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser

Paragraph 16 c (new)

16c.Condemns the Constitutional Court’s reconsideration of the status of the Russian language as an interethnic language of communication; warns the Moldovan authorities against a rise in interethnic tensions between Russian and Moldovan-speaking populations;

Amendment 166

Petras Auštrevičius

Subheading 4 a (new)

Trade and economic cooperation

Amendment 167

Petras Auštrevičius

Paragraph 16d (new)

16d.Welcomes the significant increase in Moldovan imports into the EU as a result of the entry into force of the DCFTA;

Amendment 168

Helmut Scholz

Paragraph 16e (new)

16e.Welcomes the fact that Moldova’s trade with the EU has increased since the free trade agreement entered into force, and that the EU is the largest investor in Moldova; deplores on the other hand the fact that this has not lead to an improvement in their social situation for the country’s citizens, that a third of Moldova’s population continues to live below the poverty line, that access topublic services, particularly primary health care, and particularly in rural areas, is not guaranteed and that the low employment rate and high emigration rate, underground economy and weak middle class continue to inhibit the country’s economic development; warnsthat the lack of progress in improving living standards for the population threatens people’s approval of thecountry’s pro-European orientation; calls for these problems with the association process to stop being denied, and that instead, cooperation with the EU mustmake a visible contribution towards solving these problems;

Amendment 169

Petras Auštrevičius

Paragraph 16f (new)

16f.Recalls the importance of an independent judiciary and of the fight against corruption as well as a decrease in administrative and bureaucratic burden to improve the investment and business climate;

Amendment 170

Petras Auštrevičius

Paragraph 16g (new)

16g. Encourages further progress in the areas of sanitary and phytosanitary standards and the protection of geographical indications;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 17

Welcomes the promulgation of the Energy Law in 2017 as a further step towards the transposition of the Third Energy Package;

Amendment 171

Petras Auštrevičius

Welcomes the promulgation of the Energy Law in 2017 as a further step towards the transposition of the Third Energy Package and encourages concrete steps to ensuring the independence of the energy regulatory agency ANRE;

Amendment 172

Rebecca Harms
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Welcomes the promulgation of the Energy Law in 2017 as a further step towards the transposition of the Third Energy Package and calls for further steps to ensure the independence of ANRE – the energy regulatory agency;

Amendment 173

Fabio Massimo Castaldo

Welcomes the promulgation of the Energy Law in 2017 as a further step towards the transposition of the Third Energy Package; acknowledge the efforts towards promoting renewable energy sources and energy efficiency;

Amendment 174

Rebecca Harms
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a.Stresses that agriculture constitutes 1/3 of Moldovan GDP employing 40% of the active population of the country; considers it crucial to reform this sector in line with the EU’s farm and food policies and to strengthen agroecological farming methods in the framework of sustainable rural development;

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 18

Calls for more determined action in the areas of environmental protection, notably as regards the management of water from the Nistru river, and climate change, notably in terms of implementing and coordinating legislation;

Amendment 175

Rebecca Harms
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Calls for more determined action in the areas of environmental protection, notably as regards the management of water from the Nistru river, waste management and climate change, notably in terms of implementing and coordinating legislation;

Amendment 176

Victor Boştinaru, Andi Cristea

Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a.Highlights the need for a more effective strategic communication of the reforms achieved so far and to be carried out in the framework of the AA/DCFTA, in order to raise awareness among the citizens of the benefits of a closer integration with the European Union;

Amendment 177

Petras Auštrevičius

Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a.Calls on the EU, its Member States and Moldova to further increase communication efforts on theimplementation of the AA and the expected benefits of related reforms to the society at large;

Amendment 174

Rebecca Harms
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a.Stresses that agriculture constitutes 1/3 of Moldovan GDP employing 40% of the active population of the country; considers it crucial to reform this sector in line with the EU’s farm and food policies and to strengthen agroecological farming methods in the framework of sustainable rural development;